As I was sitting around the campfire with my kids last summer, I was reminded of when I was a kid.
My dad would always tell us some these funny stories that were family-friendly (and some that weren’t).
I only remembered a couple of these stories, so I decided to look some more up and share these 4 funny campfire stories for the family.
These stories can be read right off your phone or printed off to carry with you.
I prefer memorizing the stories if I can.
Even if the words change slightly, getting your nose out of the text allows you to give the stories some life.
Read for more details and relevant source links for each story below.
Table of Contents
1) GHOST OF THE WHITE EYE
Time to tell: 5 minutes
Age Level: 5+ years old
Source: First heard from my dad
Once there was an old, abandoned house that was rumored to be haunted.
Every summer kids would go into the house and try to stay one night in the creepy place.
Without fail, none lasted the night before they ran out crying and screaming about a ghost that lived there.
It was said that whoever could stay the night there and reach the attic of the old house was sure to be the bravest kid who ever lived.
One day, three young kids decided to go there together and reach that attic and stay the night.
They entered the house just as the sun was setting and walked into the living room.
Spiders and cobwebs were everywhere.
The wooden floors creaked as the three walked across the threshold.
Then they heard a voice and a spectral figure:
I am the ghost the white eye. I SEE YOU! Leave this house NOW and never return.
One of the children gave a cry and ran from the house leaving only two.
The other two stood their ground as the ghost faded away.
Shaken, they proceeded up the stairs to the second floor.
On the second floor, they found broken furniture everywhere.
There were old pictures of a family that lay shattered in their frames on the floor.
As the two walked down the hall, they heard the voice and saw the figure:
I am the ghost of the white eye. I SEE YOU! Leave this house NOW and never return.
Another of the children cried out and ran from the house leaving only the one behind.
As the ghost faded, the last child took a breath and walked on.
He walked into the dingy attic and was surprised to find nothing there.
When he turned around to leave again, the ghost was blocking his path and glaring at him.
The ghost moaned:
I am the ghost of the white eye. I SEE YOU! Leave this house NOW and never return.
The brave boy said:
“You know what. You better shut your mouth or I’m gonna make you the ghost of the black eye!”
2) THE UNLUCKY MAN
Length: 7-10 minutes
Age: 8+ years old
Source: lawngnome1, Reddit
Once, there was a man who lived in a beautiful log cabin.
He seemed to have everything but was never happy.
The man believed it was because he was unlucky (but in fact it was because he was bored.)
One day he had enough, and he went to a very old and wise woman to find out why he was not lucky.
The old and wise woman thought about it and told him he must visit God and ask him that question.
“Where do I find God?” the man asked.
“Travel to the West until you reach the end of the world and there you will find God,” said the Old woman.
So the man set off to find God and ask why he was not lucky.
He walked for a day, he walked for a week, he walked for a month, and he even walked for a year until he came to a clearing which was surrounded by wolves.
On one side were these strong and vicious looking wolves.
On the other was a small scrawny wolf.
The man decided to walk towards the scrawny wolf.
As he passed, the wolf asked, “Where are you going?”
“I am going to visit God and ask him why I have no luck,” answered the Man.
“Interesting. If you find him, can you please ask why I am not as strong and as vicious as my brothers,” asked the Wolf.
“Of course,” the man answered, and he walked off.
He walked for a day, he walked for a week, he walked for a month, and he walked for a year until he got to a beautiful forest.
The trees were vast and stretched far up into the sky but in a small clearing was a short leafless tree with thin branches.
As the man walked by, the tree called out, “Excuse me! Where are you going?”
“I am going to visit God and ask him why I have no luck.”
“Fascinating. If you find God, can you ask him why I am not as tall and strong as my brothers?” the tree asked.
“Of course,” answered the man, and he walked off.
He walked for a day, he walked for a week, he walked for a month, and he walked for a year until he came to a small blue house.
Surrounding this house was a beautiful garden filled with vibrant colors and bright flowers.
From inside the house came the most beautiful woman the man had ever seen.
On seeing the man, the woman invited him in for dinner and to spend the night.
The man agreed and enjoyed a wonderful feast cooked to perfection by the woman.
As they ate, the man told his story, and, at the end, the woman asked, “That is a lovely story. If you find God, can you ask him why I am so lonely?”
“Of course I can,” answered the man.
Then he went to bed.
The next day he set off and walked to the West.
He walked for a day, he walked for a week, he walked for a month, and he walked for a year until finally, he reached the end of the world.
There sitting on a cloud, fishing, was God.
The man called out, “Excuse me. But God, can you tell me why I have no luck?”
God looked up and said, “You have all the luck you need. It is all around you; you just don’t notice it. Be more observant and you will find your luck.”
This made sense to the man, and he began to ask the other questions he had promised, but God just raised his hand. “There is no need to ask the questions. I already know what they are for I know everything.”
God whispered the answers into the man’s ear.
The man thanked God and began to walk home.
He arrived first at the beautiful woman’s house and knocked on the door.
The woman was overjoyed to see him and asked him for her answer. “God told me why you are so lonely. You must get married.”
“Of course. It makes sense. Will you marry me?” the woman asked the man.
“I am sorry. I cannot for I must find my luck. But the first nice man I see, I will send back to you,” answered the man.
With that, he continued home until he reached the beautiful forest.
The small tree saw him and asked for his answer. “The reason you are small and have no leaves is that buried beneath your roots is a chest full of gold. It is blocking you from receiving nutrients.”
“Of course, that makes sense. Please, some workmen left shovels over there. If you dig up the chest, you can keep the gold inside,” said the tree.
“I am sorry; I cannot for I must find my luck. But the first strong man I see, I shall send back,” replied the man and with that he continued on his way home.
He reached the clearing of the wolves and the small scrawny wolf asked him for his answer. “The reason you are small and scrawny is that you do not eat enough. You must eat the first big, stupid animal you see.”
And the wolf did.
3) THE CHICKEN IN THE LIBRARY
Length: 2 minutes
Age: 4+ years old
Source: Reading Interrupted
A chicken crossed the road and walked into a library.
She walked right up to the Librarian and said, “Book, book, book!” The librarian, at a loss for what exactly to do, hands the chicken a book. It leaves the library.
The next day, the chicken comes in again and returns the book. “Book, book, book!” it crows.
The librarian, confused, hands the chicken another book, and the fowl leaves.
The third day, the chicken returns again.
After placing the book on the counter, it crows, “Book, book, book!”
The librarian hands it over.
With her curiosity risen, the librarian follows the chicken at a distance this time.
Across the road, over the bridge, and into the swamp, the librarian follows the chicken.
Finally, the chicken stops at a pond where a little green frog is waiting.
The chicken hands the book to the frog who looks at the bird expectantly.
The frog croaks, “Read it, read it, read it!”
*You need to really own the animal sounds to get this joke across.
4) THE COFFIN
Length: 3 minutes
Age: 7+ years old
Source: Scary for Kids
Once, there was a man who went for a late night walk when a storm rolled in.
He wanted to get home before the rain came, so he took a shortcut through a graveyard.
As he walked past the gates into the graveyard, he heard a clunking sound behind him.
Terrified, he walked faster without turning around, but the sound continued to follow him.
Finally, he stopped and turned around.
Coming down the path was a wooden coffin, standing up and moving towards him.
Bump, bump, bump, bump…
The man was shocked. He turned and ran down the path and fled the graveyard.
As he turned down the street, he looked behind.
The coffin was still following, faster and faster.
Bump! Bump! Bump! Bump!
The man’s breath was coming in heaves.
He sprinted into his house and slammed the door shut.
He locked the door and ran to his closet to pull out a shotgun.
With a crash, the door fell down, and the coffin entered the doorway.
The man raised his gun and fired.
The gunshot blew off the coffin’s door showing the skeleton underneath.
BUMP! BUMP! BUMP! BUMP!
The man cowered and crawled backward into the bathroom.
He reached in his medicine cabinet and threw everything he had at the coffin.
BUMPBUMPBUMPBUMPBUMPBUMPBUMP!!!!!!!
He held the last item in his hand: cough syrup.
He flung it right at the skeleton.
And the coffin stopped.
TIPS FOR TELLING FUNNY CAMPFIRE STORIES
Telling funny campfire stories in a good way isn’t hard to do.
There are several practical suggestions you can follow to be successful:
- Memorize the story
- Insert pauses at dramatic places
- Do voices for different characters
- Make eye contact with the audience
- Watch professional storytellers
- Commit to the characters
Related Reading: 9 Tips for Better Storytelling
CONCLUSION
Sharing these 4 funny campfire stories for the family is a great way to spend part of your camping trip.
Telling the stories (and others) can be a great tradition that sticks with your kids for the rest of their lives.
I still remember some stories my family shared around the fire.
I hope you consider sharing these ones with your family.
If you like telling stories, there are a lot of books out there to look at.
I like these 15 Tales For Shivers And Giggles in particular.
Now get out there and enjoy the fresh air!
If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy 7 fun things to do while sitting around a campfire.